WEDNESDAY 30th DECEMBER

Distance: 92k + 5k = 97k
Weather: Rain, rain and rain.
Route: I was planning a long night ride, but the weather is looking dismal so fitted in laps of Richmond Park early to pre-empt the shorter night ride…

…Which ends abruptly, when a motorist cuts out of a side road and I collide with the side of his moving car, sending me over the bars and into the wet road. My immediate concern was I'd damaged the Enigma - I currently had no spare bike - but it escaped with knocked shifters and bars (still a worry!). I rode back, doing the maths for the following day's milage.

High Points:
Sitting in the park cafe watching the rain come down, but enjoying a coffee knowing I'd cracked it…

Low Points:
…Until that evening when I lost out on 45kms!

THURSDAY 31st DECEMBER

Distance: 85k+39k = 124k
Weather: Cold, occasional drizzle, clear night.
Route: I head into Kent, to the North Downs, to churn out the km's.

I'd pretty much given up taking photos by this point, they all showed the same dismal grey scenes. Doing sums all the time, I calculate the bare minimum I can do, knowing I'll make the total when dropping into New Year's parties in the evening…

High Points:
Crossing the 1000k point in the dark, sleet coming down, smiling inside.

Low Points:
Waking up aching from the crash, knowing I'd lost out on my 'easy day' and plodding through the kilometres. The bike is beginning to show the strain; skipping, clicks, slow cables, all make me wince and wish for a service.

Grand Total: 1005km